


Patience

by sterlingstars



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avacados in love, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, but it works out for them, they are both idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-21 01:18:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4809407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sterlingstars/pseuds/sterlingstars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And maybe he's still a little punch drunk, but he feels a rush of affection for the man next to him. He's glad he's sitting, otherwise he thinks he would've fallen over with the force of it. Foggy Nelson, as completely and utterly exasperated as he is with Matt, is still sitting here taking care of him, affectionately calling Matt his dumbass. That makes Matt's heart do a little flop, and before he can catch it, it obviously shows on his face.</p>
<p>In which Matt gains a little confidence, Foggy is confused, and these two idiots finally figure it out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Patience

Matt thinks about Foggy a lot. He always has, truthfully, ever since they met. They're best friends, partners. Foggy is the most important person in the world to Matt, and despite their.. rough patch, that hasn't changed. At least not on his end; though he knows, past all the conflict and anger and upset at himself that really, it hasn't changed for Foggy, either.

And ever since his unintentional reveal, he's found himself thinking about Foggy a little more. Truthfully, he worries about him. A lot. He worries about all of them- Karen, Claire, and even Stick, wherever he ran off to. But Foggy... he's important. He's far too important to lose, and even though things have gotten better between them, it's not the same, and Matt is killing himself over it. 

He just wants him to be safe. To be happy. That's what's important. 

Of course, he jeopardizes this by crawling through Foggy's window at nearly two thirty in the morning, a nasty gash on his arm and what feels like a broken ankle. Foggy, ever the saint, doesn't kill him for breaking into his apartment, and instead helps him onto the couch, swearing under his breath the entire time. As angry as he is (and Matt can tell), his hands are gentle on Matt's wounds, helping him peel out of his suit with the lightest touches possible.

He steams as he stitches him up, Matt guiding him through the process with gritted teeth and stiff, sore muscles. When they're finished, Foggy flops on the couch next to him, heaving a deep sigh. He's still mad. Fair enough, he supposes.

“I thought you said you were going to be more careful,” Foggy says, and even though he's tired as all hell, he still manages a pretty good angry voice. 

“I did,” Matt says. “But things happen. Can't win 'em all. Well, at least not without some collateral.” He pushes a sigh out, wincing as he adjusts himself and his arm brushes against Foggy. “I uh... thanks for helping me.”

“Not like I had much of a choice, with you breaking in and all.”

“You left the windows unlocked,” he says, and he can't help the small smile ghosting his lips. 

It was a small gesture, but it was enough. A sort of peace offering. Foggy doesn't have to say it out loud for Matt to know he did it on purpose. It's something that he just knows. He can't help the little swell of affection that runs through him at the thought. Even as angry as he is with him, Foggy is still managing to take care of him. It's more than he deserves, but he won't be complaining anytime soon.

Foggy makes a sort of noncommittal noise at Matt's comment, and he chuckles low and soft. He reaches out and gently pats Foggy's knee, allowing his smile to become more obvious. Foggy relaxes a little, and that soothes Matt. He's calming down now, sleep starting to tug at him, and Matt can feel it coming on, himself. 

“Before you ask, you can crash here tonight,” Foggy says,a yawn chasing the end of his sentence. “I'll bring you a pillow and blanket, and you can have the couch.”

“I should go home,” Matt says softly, but he makes no move to get up. 

Now that he's on the couch, out of the suit, and the adrenaline has worn off, exhaustion begins to tug at him, weighing him down. He's not up for the trip home, even though his apartment isn't all that far from Foggy's. He'll just get a late start in the morning and show up the office a little later than usual. Foggy's couch feels much too comfortable to bother leaving it, right now.

“You _should_ go the hell to sleep,” Foggy grumbles. “You brought this on yourself, pal. Now let me get you a pillow and stuff.”

As promised, he brings in a pillow and a throw blanket, tossing it to Matt, who deftly catches it. Foggy sighs, and Matt suppresses a chuckle. He allows a smile as he sets the pillow down, adjusting.

“Hey, Foggy?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks, buddy.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbles, heading back towards his bedroom. “You're lucky I care about your dumb ass, you punk.”

Matt smiles as he tucks the blanket under his chin.

+

This becomes pretty routine, for them. On the off nights, when his injuries aren't too bad and he's close, Matt stumbles into Foggy's apartment, and he endures another lecture about taking it easy as Foggy patches him up. Sometimes he crashes on his couch afterward, and sometimes he stumbles home to fall into his own bed. 

Sometimes, he's not even really hurt, beyond a few scrapes and bruises- he's just tired and his own apartment feels thousands of miles away rather than a couple hundred blocks. Foggy is a little softer on these nights, and even though Matt is well aware that he doesn't deserve it, he soaks it in like a sponge. He accepts the gentle touches, the whispered reassurances, even if they are a little grumpy due to the late hour. He spends a lot more time sleeping on Foggy's couch than he ever counted on doing, but he doesn't mind it. 

Foggy accepts this unspoken arrangement with as much grace as he can muster, which is a lot more than Matt was expecting, truthfully. But again- no complaints from him. 

“That's what best friends are for, Matt,” Foggy sighs one night as he wraps Matt's throbbing, sprained wrist. “Even if, say, their best friend is a dumbass that likes to get his ass kicked in back alleys and warehouses, there's gotta be someone on the other end to make sure his dumbass is still alive.”

“So I'm _your_ dumbass, now?” Matt asks with a chuckle. 

“Always were,” Foggy says as he finishes the wrap. “Someone's gotta take care of you, since you do such a shitty job of it. You're pretty bad at this whole 'being careful' thing.”

Matt chuckles fondly, shaking his head a little. Foggy's right, but he doesn't want to admit that out loud. He'll never hear the end of it.

And maybe he's still a little punch drunk, but he feels a rush of affection for the man next to him. He's glad he's sitting, otherwise he thinks he would've fallen over with the force of it. Foggy Nelson, as completely and utterly exasperated as he is with Matt, is still sitting here taking care of him, affectionately calling Matt his dumbass. That makes Matt's heart do a little flop, and before he can catch it, it obviously shows on his face.

“What's with that goofy look?” Foggy asks, pausing in packing his things away into his first aid kit. “You get hit in the head and forget to tell me about it?”

“No,” Matt says, shaking his head. “Might've been hit somewhere else, though.”

Okay- he's gotta be more than a little punch drunk. He can feel the confused look Foggy's shooting him, and waves his hand dismissively before running it through his hair, frowning a little. He needs a shower. Meanwhile, his stomach is fluttering a little, and that, he knows, has nothing to do with getting punched. 

Foggy gets up to put his kit away and grab the pillow and blanket, apparently deciding for Matt that he's crashing here for the night. He brings the pillow and blanket and goes into the kitchen, coming back a moment later with pain killers and a glass of cool water.

“It should help the swelling in your wrist a little,” he says. “As well as, you know- the whole pain thing.”

Matt stands up and stretches, a yawn escaping him. Foggy relaxes, letting his tensed muscles finally ease up, and Matt almost breathes a sigh of relief for him. He walks over and puts a hand on Foggy's shoulder.

“Get some sleep,” he says softly. “You've more than earned it.”

“Don't I know, it,” he grumbles. “Might as well start setting an alarm, since you come in so much.”

Matt lets a smile turn up the corners of his mouth, and before he can really stop himself, he leans forward and presses a soft, warm kiss to Foggy's cheek.

“Thanks for taking care of me,” he whispers.

He ambles back over to the couch, and Foggy is still standing there, his heart rate very much elevated. It takes him a moment to gather his bearings, and he makes a strange noise before practically running to his bedroom. Matt can hear him pace a little before he climbs into bed, his breathing still off-kilter, heart skittering in his chest. He allows a smile to creep across his face, and settles into the couch rather comfortably. 

He lies awake for a while, and so does Foggy. He tosses and turns, his mattress creaking a little, and Matt can hear his sighs. He starts to wonder if he made a mistake, and his stomach clenches a little. He turns to face the back of the couch, curling up. He wants to back out, but should he? He really liked kissing Foggy's cheek. It's something he's privately wanted to do for a long time.

He'll sort it out in the morning, he supposes.

+

When he wakes up, Foggy is already gone, headed for the office. Matt smells his toothpaste, his aftershave, can trace his exact path through the apartment before he left. He very deftly avoided the couch. Matt frowns and sits up, pushing his hair back. It sticks up wildly, and he frowns more deeply as he remembers that shower he still needs to take. 

He makes his way to his own apartment and showers and dresses, turning over the night in his head as he goes. He's still preoccupied with his thoughts when he walks into the office, Karen looking up at him. He can't really make out her expression, but he can tell she's happy to see him. He offers a smile as he sets his cane in the corner, taking off his jacket. 

Karen offers him coffee, and he gratefully accepts. Foggy still has yet to emerge from his own office.

“Someone's busy this morning,” he comments after his first sip of coffee.

“Oh, Foggy? Yeah, I guess he just... was really into it this morning. Went straight into his office and hasn't really come out. Is he okay?”

“Yeah,” Matt says with a wave of his hand. “Yeah, I'm sure he's fine. Maybe he had a long night.”

“Maybe,” Karen says.

She drifts out of the room, and Matt heaves a sigh. He decides, then and there, that he'll talk to Foggy about it. Maybe during lunch.

The day seems to drag on, and Matt keeps waiting for it to be the right time. Karen announces she's going out, and then it's down to Matt and Foggy. He goes and knocks on Foggy's door, hearing the grunt of approval that allows him to enter. He gives a small smile.

“Lunch?” He asks.

Foggy looks up, and Matt can feel his internal debate from the door. Finally, he heaves a sigh ans gets up, nodding. 

“Alright. Why not.”

They put on their coats and head out, going at a slow, steady pace. The weather is mild, and it's not so cold, which is nice. They walk in companionable silence, and Matt only reads slight discomfort off of Foggy. 

“You've had a lot of coffee today, so I think we should do something more mild,” Matt says after a while. “Maybe soup? I'm in the mood for soup.”

Foggy lets out a frustrated sigh, and Matt already knows what he's going to say, but doesn't stop him when he goes to speak.

“Are we not going to talk about last night?”

“I didn't think there was anything to talk about,” Matt says in a mild tone. “And besides- if we're going to talk, I want to do it over soup. I'm hungry. We did come out for lunch, you know.”

“Ha ha,” Foggy mocks, and Matt just knows he's rolling his eyes. “Fine, you win. I'll wait until we get there but then we're talking.”

“Okay.”

And they do. They find the cafe, they sit and order, and only when their soup is front of them do they start talking. Matt has a mouthful of chicken noodle when Foggy clears his throat, intentions clear. He swallows and puts his spoon down. Foggy's nervous. 

“Have I upset you?” Matt asks, frowning a little. “You're... you're nervous, you're jittery.”

“I'm just... confused. You don't usually do that kind of thing.”

Matt nods. “You have a fair point.”

“You trying to butter me up so I stop getting mad about your visits, Murdock?”

He chuckles. “Maybe.”

“Mmm.”

There's silence for a moment as they work on their soup some more. Matt focuses on Foggy instead of the crowd. He's still nervous, though he seems a little more at ease than before, which is promising. 

“I'm sorry,” Matt says after a while. “For making you uncomfortable. Guess I just get... affectionate when I'm a little beat up, is all.” He offers a weak smile. “It won't happen again.”

Foggy's hand is across the table and on his in an instant. Matt tenses up, more than a little confused by the sudden gesture, but he doesn't pull away. Foggy's pulse thrums against his skin, skittering with nerves. He swallows. Matt waits. 

“Don't be sorry,” Foggy says slowly. “I... uh... jeez. Didn't think this conversation would happen like this. Um... what do you say we take the rest of the day off? Give Karen a call and let her know she can go home after lunch, and we can just.. talk somewhere.”

Matt raises his eyebrows, but nods. “Uh, sure. Yeah, we can do that. It's a slow day, anyway.”

Foggy makes the call to Karen, and they find themselves with a much shorter work day. They finish their lunch, and make their way to Foggy's apartment. They sit on his couch, beers in hand, and Foggy takes a deep, shaky breath.

“I'm gonna cut to the chase, I guess,” he says. “I... was that kiss... platonic?”

Matt swallows. He already knew Foggy wasn't lying when he said he was going to cut to the chase, but it still throws him for a bit of a loop. He takes a sip of his beer, wondering how to proceed with this.

“If... if you want it to be,” he answers.

He says the words quietly, drawn out, and after a considerable moment of silence. Matt's barely breathing as he waits for Foggy to respond, hands tight around his beer bottle.

“So that means, if I want, then it can... not be?” 

“Yes,” Matt says quietly. “But only if you want. I can back off, if you want. I can back off, and we can forget it happened, and I won't repeat it.”

Usually he's much better at talking, but this particular situation has left his speech skills knocked down a few tiers. He's nervous, admittedly. He's been wrestling with his feelings for Foggy ever since their junior year of college, and this is admittedly difficult. 

“I didn't even know you were into dudes,” Foggy says.

“I always have been,” Matt admits. “I just... never really talked about it. Didn't wanna make anyone uncomfortable, I guess. It's hard enough being the blind guy- but being blind and bisexual? Well. The blind part is hard enough to get by with. So I kept it to myself. Besides, it took me a long time to come to terms with it. I've only ever been with two guys in my life, and it was short.”

Foggy takes a long drink from his beer, and Matt smells his shampoo a touch more strongly as he rakes his hands through his hair. He sighs.

“Tell me what's on your mind,” Matt says. “Please.”

“You know... the other week, in the office, when you asked if I was going to kiss you; I seriously considered it for a moment. And, uh, it wasn't the first time. Or the last.”

Matt stiffens a little, setting his beer on the table and sitting up straight. His heart is speeding up in his chest, and he's almost afraid to breathe. 

“What are you saying?”

“I'm saying... I'm saying that I've had a huge crush on you since college, and when you kissed my cheek last night, I... I panicked a little bit. I thought maybe you knew and you were messing with me.”

“Foggy, I would never do that to you,” Matt says, unable to turn back the hurt in his tone. “I wouldn't do that.”

“It was a dumb thing to think, I know,” Foggy says, sighing. “But I was trying to think the worst, I guess. I just. I didn't think you'd ever be interested in me, really. I used to have a hard enough time believing you wanted to be my friend- there was no way you'd ever.... feel that way about me.”

Matt shakes his head. 

“Foggy... I don't know if there could _be_ anyone else. And, anyway, I didn't think _you_ would be interested in _me_.”

Matt hears the impact of Foggy's hand against his own forehead, and laughs. 

“We're a pair of idiots.”

“So I've been told,” Matt says with a chuckle. 

“Are we... good on this, then?” Foggy asks.

“I... think we are.”

“Good.” He takes another sip of his beer, nodding. “Good. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to kiss you now.”

“I thought you'd never ask.”


End file.
